Body of missing climber recovered in Tetons

After a daylong search of the central Teton peaks by ground and air, Grand Teton National Park rangers found and recovered the body of a climber who fell to his death Thursday.

Rangers located the body of Eric Tietze, 31, of Salt Lake City, at about 3:30 p.m. Friday on the East Prong, between Teewinot and Mount Owen, about 500 feet below an area that requires a notably challenging climbing move, according to a park statement.

A ranger was inserted via short-haul and prepared Tietze for extraction. Weather delayed recovery efforts Friday afternoon, but Tietze eventually was flown from the mountain to Lupine Meadows where his body was turned over to the Teton County coroner’s office at 8:50 p.m.

Tietze was a longtime Bridger-Teton National Forest employee who had worked 10 seasons on the forest’s trail crew.

Tietze and three climbing partners were attempting the Cathedral Traverse — a long, technical traverse of 12,325-foot Teewinot Mountain, 12,928-foot Mount Owen and the 13,770-foot Grand Teton — when he separated from and moved ahead of his group, park officials reported.

The last time Tietze’s party saw him was about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, after completing the final rappels off a shoulder peak west of Teewinot, the park statement said. His group continued the climb and summited Mount Owen, where they waited for their friend, according to the report.

After Tietze failed to meet his group on the summit, the three partners backtracked and attempted a search for their friend until 7:30 p.m., park officials said. Tietze’s party hiked out to the Lupine Meadows trailhead and notified Teton Interagency Dispatch Center of their missing friend at 10 p.m., the report said.

Search and rescue personnel began organizing a search to begin at first light Friday, the park said. Two rangers on routine backcountry patrol on the Lower Saddle of the Grand Teton also were contacted. Early Friday, they climbed from the Lower Saddle to ledges on the North Face of the Grand and began searching with binoculars for Tietze, the park said.